Group revisits turtle device regulations

Federal fisheries officials are studying new types of turtle excluder devices for shrimp nets after a federal rule that would have required the devices in skimmer trawls was withdrawn last year.

Nikki BuskeyStaff Writer

Federal fisheries officials are studying new types of turtle excluder devices for shrimp nets after a federal rule that would have required the devices in skimmer trawls was withdrawn last year.Scientists are conducting research, and a new rule could be up for debate in a year or two, according to National Marine Fisheries Service officials.The trap-door devices, commonly called TEDs, allow endangered and threatened sea turtles to escape fishing nets. But they're controversial with fishermen who said they are not needed and cause them to lose some of their catch.Federal fisheries officials estimate about 28,000 sea turtles are caught each year in the nets.TEDs have been required in otter trawls for more than 20 years, but the National Marine Fisheries Service stirred controversy in the fishing industry when it proposed a new rule that would have required the devices in smaller skimmer trawls that are used to fish in inshore bays and estuaries. Those boats are only required to pull up their nets regularly to check for turtles. But observers with the National Marine Fisheries Service contended that fishermen weren't doing that.The rule was drafted after environmental groups sued the National Marine Fisheries Service following a surge in turtle drownings in 2011. The rule was part of a settlement.Bob Hoffman, endangered species branch chief with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the rule was withdrawn in November because after scientists spent time observing the turtle excluder devices, they found they were not preventing smaller turtles from being caught in the nets.Hoffman said rather than institute a rule that might not be effective, they decided to withdraw the rule and go back to the drawing board to look at a number of options. They're looking at creating turtle excluder devices with smaller spacing to prevent small turtles from getting into nets, he said. Those could be required for just skimmer boats, or fisheries officials might discover that they're needed in all trawls. Or they might just be needed in boats used to fish certain areas where small turtles tend to swim. “That's all stuff we're looking at,” Hoffman said.Clint Guidry, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said he wasn't surprised federal officials are moving forward with changes to turtle excluder device regulations.“I never did think it was ended for good because that's not the history with what (the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service) has done in the past,” he said. “It's kind of up to the state and us to continue to prove to them that TEDs in 16-foot skimmers are not going to make it better.”Guidry added that turtle excluder devices with smaller spacing could cause even bigger problems with catch loss. And he said turtle populations have recovered so dramatically in recent years that new regulations aren't needed.“We're going to continue holding the position that we don't need TEDs and that what we're doing is working,” he said.It's much easier for shrimpers to regularly pull in their nets to check for turtles, he added.He added that many fishermen don't understand just how much power federal fisheries officials have when it comes to enforcing the Endangered Species Act. They can shut down fishing waters if they can show it's necessary, he said.The Louisiana Shrimp Association and other industry groups will continue to fight turtle excluder device rule changes, using legal action if necessary, he said.

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.

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